Dau proves senior ability with defeat of champion

IT WAS a case of the apprentice beating the master when BJ Dau edged out 2005 state champion Matthew Rayment to win the Se- nior National Heavy class at the Gladstone Kart Club's Founders Day on Saturday.

Competing in his first senior event, top junior Dau displayed a class beyond his years to defeat Rayment on a countback.

Rayment could console himself with the fact he didn't go home empty-handed after winning the Sportsman Heavy division. The pair's tussle was typical on a day of great racing in the first GKC meeting of 2006.

A total of 72 competitors, some from as far away as the Gold Coast, Warwick, Cooloola Coast and Mackay, put on a show for a good Formula K raceway crowd.

Gladstone star John Grother started his season with a bang, tasting victory in two separate classes.

Grother enjoyed a comfortable win in the Leopard Light class and backed that up with victory over Cian Fothergill among oth- ers in the hotly-contested Sports- man Light division.

Like Rayment, Fothergill bounced back from that second with victory in the Senior Nation- al Light's ahead of Fraser Coast visitor Shay Mayes.

A close Leopard Heavy battle was taken out by Gladstone's Eryl Urquhart from club-mate Roy Johnson, while Jethro Ten Bensel flew the local flag in the Rookies class.

Back-to-back club champion Chris Wisnewski was another winner, taking out the Midgets class, while Darren Winstanley went home with the Rotax Light trophy under his arm.